A New World, A New Adventure
by neaucleareactor5
Summary: Nathan Smith doesn't know how cruel the world really is. He starts his life and adventure full of naivety and hope. When a certain incident rocks his world, he sets out on a vendetta against the malicious Team Rocket, who will stop at nothing to get his unique Riolu. Rated M for violence and cussing. A mesh between real and Pokémon worlds.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Ahem. Yes. Well. Welcome. Uh, let's see. This will appeal to the more…..realistic version of Pokémon, a mesh between the real world and the Pokémon world. There might be some familiar characters, and there might be some new Pokémon. There will be a lot of new characters; I'm not going to center on the show's characters or the game's characters. Be forewarned, this will be kind of dark at times. **

I coughed, waving smoke from the campfire away from my face. My dad sat across from me, gazing up into the starry night sky. I looked at my watch. It said 12:00 midnight. The fire crackled, and my dad nodded, looking back down at me.

"Are you ready?" He asked. I nodded, picking at the knife on my belt. He nodded back, his face illuminated by the fire. "You're fourteen now. It's your birthday today. Today's the day you get your first Pokémon." He said. I nodded. This was a tradition, held only by our family. It was that your first Pokémon was chosen for you by another Pokémon, a Lucario that inhabited these mountains. My brother had done the same, as had my father and grandfather. My dad nodded. "Alright then. Go north until you can't see the fire anymore and sit down. Then you just wait." He said. I nodded and stood up.

"Ok." I said, and turned around. It was relatively easy to tell where north was. I had judged it before it got dark by using landmarks, and it was a full moon. I started walking. The air was still, the night was silent, almost as if the world was waiting in anticipation. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, and the air was frigid. Thankfully I had a warm coat on. The mountain we were on was in a national forest called the White River National Forest, located in the mountains of Colorado. We were on the very top, where few ventured without proper supplies and a guide. However, my family didn't need a guide, and we were farther in than most guides would go.

I had walked five miles before I couldn't see the light from the fire anymore, having been hidden by a hill. I sat down and waited, crossing my legs, closing my eyes, and listening. A Mightyena howled in the distance, followed by the hoot of a Noctowl. I sat completely still. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a rustling, and I opened my eyes. Through the brush and trees of black timber in front of me emerged a Lucario, racing across a meadow before stopping in front of me.

It knelt in front of me and gazed into my eyes, reading my aura. It's amazing what you could see by reading one's aura, or so I'm told. Its eyes were piercing, and it stared at me, as if it was peering into my soul. After half an hour of this, it simply nodded, held up its hand as if to say 'stay put,' and raced off, heading to the west. I waited. And waited. After another eternity, the Lucario came racing back, holding an egg. It sat down in front of me, and placed my hand on top of the egg. It stared at me for another second, nodded again, and placed the egg in my lap. It stood and turned around; looking like it was about to race off.

"Take good care of him." The Lucario said, and raced off. I blinked back surprise. Lucario were highly intelligent, but a talking one was extremely rare. I looked down at the egg. It was large, about the size of my chest, and kind of heavy. But it was nothing I couldn't handle. I stood up, holding tightly onto it, and after glancing back in the direction Lucario had run off, walked back to the campfire. My dad was waiting for me, petting his Zangoose, his first Pokémon. It watched me carefully as I walked up, holding the egg. To be honest, my dad and Zangoose were the perfect partners, both dangerous no matter what, and both fearsome when it came time to fight.

"Did you get your egg?" He asked.

"Yes." I said, sitting down. My dad nodded, and lay down, closing his eyes.

"Good. Now go to sleep. We've got a long hike ahead of us tomorrow." He said, and promptly went to sleep. I nodded, and closed my eyes, hugging the egg and trying to go to sleep. Being tired from yesterday's hike, I fell asleep almost immediately.

When I awoke, the sun was just barely rising in over the mountain tops. I had slept on the cold, hard ground last night, and it left me feeling like an old man, stiff and sore. Luckily my dad had kept the fire going, I had a very warm coat, and the temperature hadn't dropped below 40, not including the wind chill. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, watching my dad kill the fire by dumping dirt and snow on it. His Zangoose watched, lazily sprawled out on a rock. I stood up and picked up my egg. My dad nodded to me.

"Good of you to wake up. It's time to go. I want to be home by dinner." He said. I nodded and we started the walk back. It took about five hours to reach my dad's truck, a Ford F-150, putting the time at about 11:00. The drive back was long, and I never let go of my egg. We stopped for lunch around one, and I inhaled about five cheeseburgers. The rest of the drive took us back to our house, which was situated outside the town of Parker by about thirty minutes. We owned a very big plot of land, about 300 acres of woods, grassland, and about thirty acres of a small canyon. My older brother was waiting for us, whittling a stick at the edge of the driveway. My dad stopped next to him and rolled down the window.

"So how'd it go?" My brother asked.

"It was good. I got an egg." I said, holding up my egg. My brother (Dean) feigned surprise.

"Wow, you got a Pokémon egg. I've never seen one before. I didn't get one of those." Dean said sarcastically.

"Shut it." I snapped.

"I bet it's something stupid, like a Wynaut." He laughed.

"I said shut up." I snapped. He just laughed.

"Never. I'll be seeing you. I'm going to go meet some friends for a training session. See you later." He said, and walked across the road and into the woods. My dad grinned and elbowed me.

"I bet he's right. You might've gotten a Happiny, though." He said. I groaned.

"Not you, too." I complained. He just laughed and drove up the driveway, me imagining all the amazing kinds of Pokémon it could be inside the egg. When we reached the house, I trudged up to my room and crashed on my bed, exhausted from the day.

It was the middle of the night when I was rudely awakened by the sound of thumping. I tiredly walked over to the door to my room and opened it, watching Dean slowly drag himself up the stairs. He nodded to me, and then glanced over my shoulder, peeking into my room.

"Hey, is your egg moving?" He asked. I turned around and saw that the egg was, in fact, shaking.

"Holy crap!" I said, and rushed over to it. Dean walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Nate, calm down. It's probably just-" He was cut off by the sound of cracking. "Maybe not." He muttered. I picked up the egg and put it in my lap, watching with eagerness as the egg broke open. I averted my eyes from a bright glow that erupted from a crack in the egg. "What the…?" Dean said. I looked at the Pokémon in my lap. It looked like a Riolu, but it wasn't. The gold ring around its neck wasn't gold; it was a rich red color, with two tails trailing off it, making it look more like a scarf. Where the steel balls on its hands should've been were two electric blue gems, accented with red markings. Its eyes were a shocking green, and a black streak ran down from its eyes, looking like a tear mark. On its legs were steel balls. Its tail was black and blue instead of just blue.

"Rio?" It said tentatively.

"Well it looks like a Riolu." Dean said, scratching the back of his neck. "But you might want to check with dad. I'm not too sure it is a Riolu. Hell, I don't know what it is to be honest." He said. I nodded and stood up, picking up the Riolu, or whatever it was. It smiled at me and happily swung its feet.

"Riolu!" It said happily.

"Well, I think it's a Riolu." I said. Dean nodded.

"Yeah, you'd think. Go show Dad anyways." He said. I nodded, and carried Riolu downstairs. Dad slept on the couch, he preferred it over than sleeping in his bed with Mom. I'm not sure why.

"Dad." I said, daring not to go near him. He tended to be violent when he was woken up. His eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, cocking a fist. He saw it was me, and lowered his fist.

"Nathan. What's up?" He asked.

"Riolu!" My Riolu said, kicking its feet. My dad nodded.

"I see…..what the hell?" He said, noticing that it wasn't quite a Riolu.

"That's what I was hoping you'd tell me." I said. He shook his head in disbelief, and then nodded, standing up.

"Alright. Let's go scan it and get it inside a ball." He said, walking into the basement. I followed. He stopped in front of a large machine, like one you see in the Pokémon centers. My dad handed me a Great ball and I tapped it on Riolu's forehead, causing him to slip inside with a beam of red light, and I handed the ball to back to him. My dad placed it in one of the slots and clicked the start button. It scanned it for a few seconds before turning green and giving out a small ding. He peered at the screen, and nodded.

"Alright, well, he's a Riolu." He said. "However, you know what the Pokerus is, right?" I nodded. "Good, well it's thought that there are two strains, the one that enhances a Pokémon, and one that hinders it. Well, there's a third, one that affects a Pokémon in the egg. Take a look." He said, pulling me towards the screen. It blinked, showing the type of the Pokémon. It said my Riolu was a Fighting/Electric type. I shook my head. That wasn't right.

"But that's impossible. Riolu's aren't electric types." I said. Dad shook his head.

"No, they're not. That's what makes the third type of Pokerus so special. It only appears less than .01% of the time in eggs. 90% of the time, the Pokémon doesn't make it out of the egg alive. 90% of the survivors tend to be either crippled, or have no effect on them whatsoever. But every once in a while, you get a Pokémon like this, one that has been enhanced, and possibly even given a new type. It's extremely rare and improbable, but here is irrefutable proof. In fact, I dare say that you have gotten a whole new species of Riolu in that ball. Congrats." He said.

"What moves does it know?" I asked, tapping the screen. Up popped three different moves. From birth, it knew quick attack, thunder punch, and blaze kick. "Wow." I said.

"Yeah. Very impressive. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. I've never seen a Pokémon like that, I've only heard rumors about their existence. What will you name him?" He asked. I grabbed the ball and let Riolu out. It happily ran up to me.

"I think Soul is a good name." I said, grinning and patting Soul on the head. Dad smiled and nodded.

"Alright, well, get to bed, you've got a big day tomorrow." He said. I nodded and carried Riolu upstairs. Within minutes of laying on the mattress, we had fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy.**

Three Months Later.

The bell rang, releasing me from the confines of a classroom. School had started merely three weeks ago, and I had yet to battle with Soul. Two months ago my Uncle had given me a Growlithe, which I named Loyal, as a late birthday present. The few battles I'd been in I'd used him instead of Soul. I wanted to give Soul some time to mature before seriously battling with him. And now, after three months, I finally felt that he was ready. I maneuvered my way through the halls, walking towards my group of friends by our usual meeting spot next to some lockers. I could hear their laughter from the other end of the hall. We were the group that talked too loud and laughed too much. I walked up to them, grinning. In order from left to right, there was Joseph, Blake, Alex, Chris, and Daniel, who we call Danny.

"Finally, I can get out of this hellhole." I said. "We've only been here what, three weeks, and I already hate this place." My friends nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we all do. School's stupid. It doesn't do anything for you, and the teachers all suck at their jobs." My friend, Alex, groaned. "Besides, I'm not even going to college. I'm going to live under a bridge and sell drugs for a living."

"Yeah, and I'm going to go be a congressman." Joseph said, shaking his head.

"They're both about as respectable." I said. They all laughed.

"So Nate, you going to join us? We're going to try a double battle and we need another person for it." Alex said. "So far it's me, Joseph, and Blake."

"Isn't Chris going to join in? He never turns down a battle." I said. Chris shook his head.

"No, I've got a doctor's appointment." He said.

"Yeah, and I've got a shit ton of homework to do." Danny said.

"That sucks, dude. Then I guess I'll join in on the fun." I said.

"Wait, really? You almost never say yes." Blake said. I shrugged, touching the two Pokeballs on my belt.

"Yeah, well, I just feel like battling today." I said. Alex grinned.

"Well, alright, let's go before he changes his mind." He said, turning and walking down the hall. I followed him. We walked outside and into the field next to the school. It had been beaten down to bare dirt, with no grass within a hundred feet of the field. That way we didn't have to worry about fires. The field was littered with craters and black marks from other battles. Our school had three official battling arenas, but those were usually taken by the upperclassmen. So the freshmen and sophomores used the fields behind the school. They worked just as well for all intents and purposes. There were three other groups already beginning their battles by the time we reached the field.

"So what are the teams?" I asked. Blake scratched his chin.

"Well, I was thinking that me and Alex would be on a team against you and Joseph." He said. I nodded.

"Sounds good to me." I said. "But how about we switch off after round one? I'll be using two Pokémon today." I said. They all stared at me blankly. "What?" I asked.

"I thought you said you weren't going to use your starter." Alex said.

"Yeah, well I wanted him to mature a little more. He did hatch from an egg after all. But he's ready now, so I'm going to use him. After the first round." I said. They looked at each other excitedly. They all knew that my older brother's first Pokémon was a shiny Charmander, and were expecting something just as awesome. They would have their minds blown when they saw Soul. "Well? What are you waiting for?" I asked. They grinned, and we lined up, me and Joseph v.s. Alex and Blake.

"Alright, Let's go, Hound!" Blake said, throwing out a Pokeball. His Poochyena popped out, growling fiercely. It was his second Pokémon, and was also his newest, having purchased it four weeks ago. Alex grinned and sent out his Pokémon.

"Let's beat the crap out of them. Go, Yanma!" He yelled. He had caught his Yanma in Guatemala during the summer on a trip with his parents. I remembered them having a lot of trouble getting it into the country. Something about malaria.

"Yanma and Hound, huh? Alright then, go Loyal." I said, tossing out my Growlithe. It stood proudly, staring calmly at its opponents. It loved to battle, no matter if it won or lost, so long as it was a good fight.

"My turn. Go, Raptor!" Joseph said, throwing out a Starly. It flitted happily through the air.

"Hey! That's a new one." Alex said. "When'd you get that?"

"Yesterday. Now, Raptor, use quick attack!" He shouted, starting the match. Raptor turned into a nose dive, aiming at Poochyena.

"Back him off using Howl!" Blake said. Poochyena howled, startling Raptor. It fluttered back, stopping the attack. It was a clever way of using the move, yet also very basic.

"Now, Yanma, use sonic boom!" Alex said. Yanma flitted back and slammed its wings forward, launching a sonic boom.

"No you don't. Loyal!" I said. Loyal growled and shot an ember at the ground beneath Raptor. The burst of hot air sent Raptor upwards, causing the sonic boom to miss. "Now, back it up with a take down on Poochyena!" I said.

"Hound, dodge and use bite!" Blake said. Loyal charged straight at Hound, who leapt out of the way. In a flash, Hound jumped back in and latched onto Loyal.

"Raptor, wing attack!" Starly flew in with astounding speed, and hit Hound with a wing attack, knocking him off of Loyal.

"Yanma, use double team!" Alex shouted. "And back it up with a sonic boom on Growlithe!" Yanma turned into a blur, appearing to be everywhere at once. Double team had always been a pain in the ass, no matter who used it.

"Loyal, use odor sleuth and hit him with ember." I said. Loyal closed its eyes and sniffed the air, just as sonic boom was shot at him, seeming to come from all directions. Loyal leapt into the air, dodging the blast, and let loose a blast of fire, which landed dead on Yanma. "Now finish it off with flame wheel!" I said. Midair, Loyal began to spin, encasing itself with fire. Yanma had been knocked out of the air by ember, but was beginning to get back up. Loyal hit the ground, his speed closing the gap between him and Yanma almost instantly. Loyal slammed into Yanma just as it lifted off the ground.

"No!" Alex yelled. Yanma landed ten feet away, knocked out. Alex recalled him, cursing me. "That was cheap. When did he learn flame wheel?" He asked. I shook my head grinning.

"Expect the unexpected." I said, taunting him.

"Hound, use tackle!" Loyal yelped as Hound slammed into him, sending him rolling. "What was that, Nate? Something about expecting the unexpected?" Blake said. I cursed and looked at Joseph, who was recalling Raptor.

"Why didn't you tell me you got KO'd?" I asked. He shrugged. "Whatever. Loyal! Don't take that! Hit him back with take down!" I yelled. Loyal stood up and charged straight at Hound.

"Sand-attack!" Blake yelled. Poochyena splashed sand into Loyal's eyes, who yelped and stopped his attack, pawing at his face. "Now back it up with another tackle!"

"Loyal, use odor sleuth and then flame wheel!" Loyal paused, sniffing the air as Hound closed distance. In a flash, Loyal sidestepped, dodging the tackle, and whirled, cloaking itself with fire and slamming into Hound. Hound tumbled over and lay on the ground, KO'd. I grinned. "I guess that makes Loyal the MVP here." I said. "Nice job, Loyal. Return." I said. A beam of red light flashed out, recalling Loyal back into its Pokeball. Alex continued to cursed me, walking over.

"Christ, man. That one was cheap. You need to warn me next time your Pokémon learns a new move." He said. I laughed.

"Aw, but that takes all the fun out of it!" I said. "It's more fun to watch you despair as I dominate the battlefield." I said. Alex shook his head.

"Whatever. So what are the teams going to be this time? We've got one more round to do." Alex said. Blake and Joseph joined us. Blake started to say something, but was cut off.

"What the hell, man?!" Someone shouted. We all turned to look. Three upperclassmen were laughing at two freshmen girls, one of which was standing in front of them defiantly. "Why'd you do that?! We were in the middle of a battle!" She shouted. A Buizel stood in front of her, which I assumed was one of the asshole upperclassmen's Pokémon. I sighed, shook my head, and walked over to them. A Torchic was lying on the ground in front of the Buizel. I assumed it was one of the girl's Pokémon.

"All the arenas are backed up, so we figured we'd come and take the field from you guys. Considering I knocked out your Torchic in one hit, I'd say I won the field. Now get off." One of the upperclassmen said.

"You know, I really hate it when these types of stereotypes actually pan out." I said, walking past the upper classmen to stand in front of the girl. The upperclassmen grinned at me, looking almost malicious.

"And what stereotype might you be talking about? Helpless freshmen trying to act tough?" He asked. His cronies laughed a little at that, which just pissed me off more.

"No, I'm talking about asshole upperclassmen that pick on freshmen to make themselves feel less like wimps." I said. Their smiles faded, and the leader glared at me.

"You picking a fight with me, you brat?" He snapped. I acted thoughtful for a second and nodded.

"That was the intention. What do you say? One on one?" I asked, grabbing Soul's Pokeball. The upperclassman laughed.

"I'll have this wrapped up in seconds. Buizel, you ready?" He said. His Buizel barked in response, glaring confidently at me.

"Uh, Nathan, you know who that is, right? He's Varsity on the Pokémon Battle Team. That's Carl Schmidt." Blake said. I grinned and nodded, tossing my out my Pokeball.

"Yes, I know. Which is why I'm not accepting that he can't get an arena. It's not ok for a Varsity Battler to come down here, thinking he can pick on the freshmen." I said. "Now, go, Soul." I said. Soul popped out of his Pokeball, leaping into the air with joy. He did a somersault and popped up right in front of Buizel.

"Riolu!" He said in greeting. Buizel recoiled by jumping backwards. "Rio?" Soul said in confusion, not understanding why his playmate would jump back like that.

"Dude, what's up with your Riolu? He looks….different." One of Carl's cronies said. I shrugged.

"He got infected with the Pokémon Virus in his egg, it mutated his DNA a little, and now he looks like this. Or something like that. Now, can we begin?" I asked. Carl grinned.

"Buizel, use sonic boom!" Carl said. Buizel leapt into the air and fired a sonic boom with a whip of its tail. Soul took it head on, and it sent him tumbling backwards. "I don't care what he looks like, it's over. Your Riolu is down for the count." He said. I smiled as Soul leapt back up, suddenly less happy-go-lucky and more serious. It was all fun and games until he first got hit. He glared intently at Buizel.

"Ready now, Soul?" I asked. He nodded in response, assuming a fighting stance. "Alright, let's hit him with a quick attack." I said. Soul dashed forwards at amazing speed.

"Alright, Buizel. Let him get close and then hit him with a close range water pulse. I want to end this quickly." Carl said smugly. When Soul got within ten feet, Buizel made its move, firing a water pulse. Soul dodged expertly, bending over at full speed and sliding on its knees so the water pulse passed right over his head.

"Now! Hit him with combo number 2!" I shouted. Still at full speed, Soul popped right back up, electricity crackling from both of his fists. Buizel didn't even have time to react as the first thunder punch hit him straight in the stomach, followed by a second to the chest. Buizel was sent tumbling backwards, and lay on the ground, unmoving. "You're right about one thing." I said. "It ended quickly." Carl's face turned bright red as he recalled Buizel.

"You….I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp." He snapped, pulling another Pokeball from his belt. "I was taking it easy on you, but now I'm going to end you." He said. He cocked his arm, but it was caught by one of his cronies.

"Dude, stop. That's Dean's brother. You don't want to piss Dean off, do you?" He said. Carl's face twisted in anger, and he put the Pokeball back. If I remembered right, Carl had a one-sided rivalry with Dean. Dean didn't consider Carl a rival, but Carl considered Dean one.

"Fine. You're getting lucky this time." Carl snapped, storming back up the hill with his buddies. I smiled and turned to the crowd of freshmen behind me. Apparently everyone had come to watch. I bowed elegantly.

"And that, ladies and gents, is how it's done." I said. Soul leapt onto my back happily, vaulting off of me and landing in the crowd. A few startled people almost fell over each other trying to get out of the way. I laughed as he ran back to me, climbing up my leg to hang from my shoulder.

"Dude, _that's _your starter? A freaking badass Riolu? That's awesome! Is what you said about being infected with the Pokémon virus true?" Alex said, walking up to Soul and scratching him under the chin. I nodded.

"Yes it is. And because of it, he's not just a fighting type. The Pokerus turned him into a fighting/electric type, and gave him thunder punch as one of his known moves. I don't know what else he can learn, but I'm excited to find out." I said. Blake shook his head.

"Dude, your family is so lucky. You get that Riolu, and your brother has a shiny Charmeleon. How do you get such awesome Pokémon?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Well, I don't know about my brother, but I found Riolu's egg. It's just luck that I got a Riolu." I said.

"What was that about a shiny Charmeleon?" Dean asked from behind me. I sighed and turned around, looking at Dean. I could feel the fear he induced in everyone else. Standing before them was the captain of the Pokémon Battle Team, the high school equivalent of a Pokémon league. It was honestly just one big tournament, with no real champion besides the previous year's state champion. But he was just my brother, so that didn't faze me. "Come on Nathan, we need to go. Say bye to your fan club." I nodded and looked back at the people behind me.

"Alright well, see you. If you have any questions, save them for Monday." I said, and followed Dean up the hill. Soul jumped down from my shoulders and ran ahead of me.

"You know better than to talk about that." Dean said quietly. I nodded, looking down. He was talking about my egg comment. It wasn't something we talked about with people outside the family.

"Yeah, I know. I did say I just found it. Nothing more." I said quietly. Dean shook his head.

"Doesn't matter." He said. I nodded. Who was he to nag me about it? He did the same thing. We were silent for a minute. "You know, that was actually some pretty good battling. What Soul did was really cool." He said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You should enter the tournament this weekend." He said. I looked up at him, surprised.

"Aren't you entering it?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nope, I'm going to go tour a college with mom. It's nothing big, but still. You'd need to enter it even if I was entering it. It'd be good experience." He said. I nodded.

"Maybe." I said. I decided two things in that instant. One: I'd enter the tournament. Two: I'd win.

**Author's Note: The Pokémon Battle Team is a team that students in high school can join if they have the battling skill, much like Football. There is a Varsity team consisting of seven battlers, a Junior Varsity team of eight battlers, and an open battle team consisting of up to ten battlers. The team battles in a series of tournaments against other teams throughout a six month period, leading up to a final State Championship in which all qualified teams compete. Nathan's brother Dean has been State Champion since Freshman year, which is practically unheard of. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: Tournaments are normally split up into three different sections; Single Battle, Double Battle (Teams only), and Triple Battle (teams only.) They are also split up into age groups, starting from ages 14-18 (High School), 19-26 (College), and all ages above that, to keep the trainers in the same skill range. Single battles are the most popular, with Double Battles and Triple Battles just starting to come into the limelight. **

I stood in front of the reception desk, shaking my head in disappointment. I was attempting to enter the tournament, but was running into a few difficulties.

"I'm sorry, but you need three Pokémon to enter the single battle tournament." The receptionist said. I wanted to hit myself. I had completely ignored that fact. It was standard for single battle participants to have three Pokémon, and I only had two. "But, if you find another person, you still have time to enter the double battle competition." She said. I shook my head.

"Yeah, but I don't have anyone to partner with. Thanks anyways." I said, turning to walk off. The person who had been behind me stopped me.

"I could battle with you." She said. I looked at her, recognizing her as the girl who had tried fighting the upperclassmen before me. She had her brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. "I've only got two Pokémon too, so it'd work well for me." She said. I gave her a skeptical look.

"You sure?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. I've got no one else to enter with, and I really want to enter." She said. I shrugged.

"Alright then." I said, turning back towards the receptionist. "Did you catch that? We'd like to enter the tournament as a team for the double battles." The receptionist nodded.

"Ok, and what are your names?" She asked.

"I'm Nathan Smith," I said.

"And I'm Alyssa Cord." My new partner said. "And we'll both be entering the high school matches."

"Ok, you'll be team number 49. The matches will begin in ten minutes. Your first match will be in about three to four hours." The receptionist said, scribbling down our names in the roster. I nodded, and walked off with Alyssa, heading towards the Double battle arenas. We sat down in the very back, watching while other people slowly filtered in to watch the matches. There were three different arenas for the battles, with the lowest seats coming to stop twenty feet above the arena floor. This was to help prevent any stray attacks from injuring the onlookers.

"So, what Pokémon do you have?" I asked. Alyssa pulled out two Pokeballs, looking at them.

"You know, I think it'd be better if I showed you. We might be able to form a strategy together too. We've never battled together before, so it'd be good to get a feel for each other's battling style." She said. I nodded.

"Hell, we've never really talked or met before. That's probably a very good idea." I said, standing up. "I bet it would be beneficial to get to know each other a little." We walked out of the tournament building, a tall brick building with the words 'Pokémon Competition Center' plastered on the front. It was used for everything Pokémon related, from battling, to beauty contests, to races and performance training. It even had a Pokémon center. "Uh, where do you want to go?" I asked, suddenly realizing that I had no idea where we were going.

"Why don't we go into that field across the road? That's as good of a place as any." She said. I nodded, following her across the road and into a field filled with dry grass. We stopped halfway through the field.

"Ok, then. I guess it's time for you to meet my Pokémon." I said, grabbing my two Pokeballs and tossing them out. "Loyal, Soul, say hi. You'll be battling with Alyssa and her Pokémon for the next day or so." I said. Soul and Loyal popped out with a flash of red light. Soul ran up to Alyssa, happily jumping up and down while Loyal stayed where he was, simply watching Soul's antics. Soul ran around in a circle a few times before finally sitting down next to Loyal. "So yeah, this is Soul, my Riolu. As you can see, he's very energetic. And that there's Loyal, my Growlithe. He's quieter and more battle focused." I said. Alyssa laughed and walked up to both of them, scratching them under the chins.

"I can tell. They seem very different." She stood up and threw out her Pokémon. "Meet my partners, Blaze and Garde." Her two Pokémon popped out of their Pokeballs, revealing themselves as a Torchic and a Ralts. Torchic looked happy enough, running up to greet Soul and Loyal without a moment's hesitation, while Ralts hid behind Alyssa's leg. "Go on, Garde, go say hi." Alyssa urged it. It stubbornly stayed behind Alyssa, and she sighed.

"Well, that one seems kind of shy." I said. "But your Torchic seems very sociable. Hey! I'd be careful around Loyal. He's short tempered." I said in warning. The Torchic ignored me and kept pressing Loyal, who was starting to growl. "Loyal, heel." I said quickly. Loyal barked once in warning at Torchic, stood up, walked over to me, and sat down at my side. "Good boy." I said, scratching him behind the ears. Torchic ignored him and found a playmate in Soul instead.

"He's well trained." Alyssa noted. I nodded.

"Yeah, he is." I said. "I've put a lot of effort into training him. Now let's get started on some strategizing before it gets too late. I want to give them time to rest before our match starts." Alyssa nodded in agreement, and called Torchic to her side.

"Alright then. Blaze and Garde are ready to go, so let's do this."

Three hours later, and we were sitting in the stands, resting before our match. They were on groups 47 and 48 now, making us next. I sighed and watched as the match was wrapped up. It was two sophomores versus two juniors from the junior varsity battle team. There was no contest, the juniors were just toying with them now.

"They'll be tough." I said, indicating the seniors. "All the battle team guys will be." Alyssa nodded.

"Yeah. But most of the really good ones will be in the single battle tournaments. Hopefully the ones that did enter this tournament will take each other out before we get to them." She said. I shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know. It'd be fun to battle them. Good experience and an great feeling when we kick their asses." I said. She laughed.

"Sure." She said. The match ended in a flash, with the juniors demolishing the two sophomores in one massive finishing move. They hadn't even reached their second Pokémon yet. There was a ding, and the announcer called out the winners, while simultaneously calling me and Alyssa to the stage. "Well, I guess that's us." She said. I nodded, and we walked down a flight of stairs to reach the arena floor.

"Are you Nathan Smith and Alyssa Cord?" The referee asked. I nodded.

"Yep. That's us." I said. The ref nodded, and checked his list.

"Ok, your match will start in three minutes, and your opponents will be Carl Schmidt and Logan Vernon." He said.

"Well, shit." Alyssa said. "Those are the varsity guys, aren't they?" She asked. I nodded and grinned.

"Yep. This'll be fun." I said, watching as Carl and Logan made their way down to the arena floor. He just laughed and stood on the other end of the arena. It was the same Carl as before.

"What luck! I get to kick your ass from the get go!" He yelled to me. I shrugged.

"Yeah, right." I muttered. "If I don't kick your ass first. Ready, Alyssa?" I asked. She nodded, and the ref stepped forwards. I grabbed Loyal's Pokeball. The ref blew a whistle, and we began. I sent out Loyal, and Alyssa sent out her Ralts, Garde. Carl sent out a Bayleaf, and Logan sent out a Vaporeon. I muttered a curse and glanced at Alyssa. The Vaporeon would be problematic, but luckily her Garde had learned magical leaf, so that would help. _Alright, so long as we pressure them from the start, we'll stand a chance. _

"Loyal, use flame wheel! Aim for Vaporeon!" I shouted. Loyal began its assault, cloaking itself in fire and barreling straight towards Vaporeon. I hoped Alyssa had caught on. It was supposed to be a diversion tactic, where I would charge straight at a foe, they would counter, and my partner would attack in the midst of it all. Logan and Carl laughed.

"Trying to take out Vaporeon first, huh? I won't let you." Logan said. "Vaporeon, counter with water pulse!" He yelled. Vaporeon fired a pulse of water at Loyal, stopping him in his tracks. Alyssa muttered something, and Garde began to move, tossing out multiple glowing leaves and sending them flying towards Vaporeon. They hit it so quickly that no one had time to react, sending Vaporeon tumbling backwards.

"Now, Bayleaf! Use body slam on Growlithe!" Carl yelled. His Bayleaf was already on top of Loyal, and hit him full on. Loyal was sent tumbling, and lay on the ground. "That's it for Growlithe, now take care of Ralts! Razor leaf!" He shouted.

"Don't take that, Loyal! Get up and use ember!" I said. Loyal leapt up with a growl, fire billowing from its mouth. It launched a massive fiery blast at Bayleaf, one that seemed much stronger than an ember. It scorched Bayleaf before it had a chance to fire razor leaf.

"Was that just a flamethrower?" Alyssa asked. I nodded, grinning like a maniac. I'd been trying to get him to learn that move for a month now, and he had finally learned it.

"Vaporeon, water pulse!" Logan yelled. The blast of water sent Loyal tumbling, KO'd. I cursed myself for getting distracted. Bayleaf staggered to its feet, breathing heavily. "Now, use it again on Ralts!" He yelled. I recalled Loyal, and grabbed Soul's Pokeball.

"Garde, use confusion to stop it!" Alyssa yelled. Ralts glowed in a blue aura, and stopped the water pulse half way to its mark.

"Quick, Bayleaf! Use body slam!" Carl yelled. Bayleaf charged straight a Garde, who was wide open. I cursed and threw out Soul.

"Soul! Blaze kick!" I yelled. Soul popped out of his Pokeball already running, meeting Bayleaf just before he reached Garde. Soul slid on the ground in a baseball slide, simultaneously bringing his blaze kick up to knock Bayleaf back. "Now follow it up with a thunder punch on Vaporeon!" I yelled. Soul popped back up from its slide and slammed its fist into Vaporeon, who yelped and was sent tumbling backwards. Carl recalled Bayleaf, who had been knocked out, his face red with anger.

"Garde, finish off Vaporeon with confusion!" Alyssa yelled. Vaporeon floated in the air, and then was thrown against the wall by Garde. It fell to the ground, KO'd. _Alright, that's two down. Only two more to go. But we need to be careful. That only worked because of their surprise at Soul. Keep your head in the game. _I told myself._ No more getting distracted._ Carl and Logan nodded to each other as Logan recalled his Pokémon. Simultaneously, the two of them threw out their next Pokémon.

"Let's go, Scraggy." Logan said.

"Go, Murkrow." Carl said. I cursed. They were planning to take care of Ralts' confusion with their dark types. And, so far, Soul didn't know any fighting moves to counter that. Luckily though, because Soul is a Fighting/Electric type, flying type moves would hurt, but wouldn't be super effective, giving me less reason to worry about Murkrow.

"Alright, Soul. Let's go, use quick attack on Scraggy!" I said. Soul burst forwards, heading straight towards Scraggy. Murkrow got in the way.

"Use wing attack!" Carl said. Murkrow swooped in, aiming to counter Soul.

"Garde, use hidden power!" Alyssa said. Ralts glowed, and a beam of ice shot from its hands, hitting Murkrow head on.

"Scraggy, use brick break!" Logan yelled. I grinned, watching as Soul tensed, preparing to dodge.

"Now, Soul!" I yelled. Soul dodged, spinning to the side just as Scraggy brought its hand down to counter him. The hand slammed onto the dirt floor, cracking the ground. Soul stopped its spin directly behind Scraggy. "Follow it up with combo number 3!" I yelled. Soul's fist crackled with electricity, and he brought it around in a back hand to Scraggy's head. Scraggy was sent spinning, and Soul kept up the pressure with a blaze kick to the side, sending Scraggy flying into the wall.

"Murkrow, wing attack!" Carl yelled. I cursed. Soul didn't have time to either dodge or counter.

"Teleport!" Alyssa yelled. In a flash, Garde teleported to Soul, and then teleported him out of the way. Murkrow landed in a flutter of wings and confusion. "Now, let's wrap this up." She said. I nodded, seeing where Ralts had teleported. She had teleported above Murkrow, holding both Soul and herself in the air using confusion.

"Now, Soul! Thunder punch!" I yelled. Garde dropped Soul, who plummeted towards Murkrow, his fist cocked back.

"Dodge to the right!" Carl yelled. Murkrow darted out from underneath Soul, who slammed his fist into the ground as the only other alternative. I cursed, but Alyssa was already on top of it.

"Garde, use hidden power!" She yelled. Garde appeared not two feet from where Murkrow had stopped, her hidden power already charged. There was no escape. Garde blasted Murkrow with its ice type hidden power, knocking it out. I grinned as the ref stepped forwards, examining Murkrow. I hadn't noticed, but Logan had already recalled his Scraggy. Carl called back Murkrow, his face red with anger. He had just lost to me twice.

"Murkrow is unable to battle. Nathan and Alyssa are the winners." The ref said, his voice monotone but loud. He walked over to us, and handed each of us a ticket, saying we were allowed to move on to the next round. It would be the final round of the day, between all the remaining teams. If we won again, we'd have to come back tomorrow to finish. Soul ran up to me happily and jumped up on my shoulders. Alyssa recalled Garde, and I tapped Soul's foot with his Pokeball, recalling him. I grinned at Alyssa, and we walked out of the arena.

"You know, I wouldn't have guessed that your Garde was so powerful." I said as we walked. "How long have you had it?" I asked.

"Garde was actually my first Pokémon. I got her when I was five as a present from my mom, and I've raised her ever since." She said fondly. "She's my strongest Pokémon." Carl and Logan cut us off, standing in front of us. Carl glared at me.

"Oh, hello." I said. Logan just sighed and shook his head as Carl advanced, grabbing the front of my shirt.

"You got lucky, punk. My team was tired from the single battle they had. Otherwise we would've wiped the floor with you." He snarled. I laughed and nodded.

"You know, the funny thing is, you're probably right. You would've beaten us if you'd been taking us seriously." I said. Carl stared at me, wondering what kind of a game I was playing at.

"So long as we understand each other." He snapped, letting go of me and storming off, Logan following close behind. I shook my head.

"Well, shall we go and heal our Pokémon? I'm sure Loyal and Soul would appreciate it." I said. Alyssa nodded.

"Yeah, we probably should." She said. We walked towards the Pokémon center located in the far end of the building, oblivious to the two people watching us from the shadows.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

I stood on the platform, looking out over the finals arena. A smile spread across my face, despite my best efforts to contain my excitement. We had made it. It was the final round, us versus one other group, competing for the grand prize. The grand prize was two Pokémon, whose identities were yet to be revealed, one for each of the contestants. Alyssa was just as excited as I was, and was nervously shifting her feet. A large crowd had gathered, even though a few single battles were going on. Final battles were always exciting, and the single battles were still in the semi-finals. Our opponents appeared on the stage opposite us; two kids dressed in all black. One was a boy, the other was a girl. We had watched a couple of matches, and they fought ruthlessly and no-holds barred. It was going to be a tough match. From what I had seen, they had a Bronzor, an Ekans, a Vigoroth, and a Nidorino. I grabbed Soul's Pokeball. I was going full out from the beginning. The ref made the opening speech; two Pokémon each, fair fight, blah, blah, blah. I knew the rules. I just hoped they did.

"Begin!" The ref yelled. I grinned and threw out Soul.

"Let's go, Blaze!" Alyssa said. Blaze and Soul stood next to each other, preparing for their fight. Our opponents nodded at each other and threw out their Pokémon without a word. The one on the right sent out Vigoroth, and the other sent out his Bronzor. _Soul, if only you knew a fighting move. _I thought. If he did, we could've divided and conquered. As it was, we would have to focus our attacks on Bronzor, whose psychic moves would be devastating.

"Soul, use thunder punch on Vigoroth!" I said. Soul dashed forwards, leaping straight at Vigoroth, his fist gathering electricity.

"Confusion." Bronzor glowed, and so did Soul, the psychic energy lifting him up in the air.

"Slash." Vigoroth dashed forwards with amazing speed, and brought his claws down on Soul, who yelped in pain.

"Fire spin!" Alyssa yelled. Her Blaze launched a spinning vortex of fire, which hit both Vigoroth and Bronzor. Soul dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. I cursed. He'd just taken a lot of damage from the slash attack. That Vigoroth was strong.

"Hit Vigoroth with a blaze kick!" I yelled. Soul launched himself forwards, and hitting Vigoroth with a fire filled roundhouse. It went tumbling, and Bronzor appeared right in front of Soul.

"Psywave." Bronzor glowed, and a visible stream of psychic energy slammed into Soul, who fell to the ground. Bronzor floated right over Soul, turning to face Blaze.

"Soul!" I shouted. I could see Vigoroth getting to its feet, and charged right at Blaze. I cursed, grabbing Soul's Pokeball to recall him. Having taken two strong attacks like that, he was probably down for the count.

"Blaze, use ember!" Alyssa shouted desperately. If she didn't do something, it would be the end for her Blaze as well as Soul. Her Blaze shot a blast of fire at Bronzor, who stopped it easily with a confusion attack. I cursed and raised Soul's Pokeball, watching as Vigoroth closed in to deal a slash to Blaze. Then something unexpected happened. Bronzor was sent flying from Soul's blaze kick as he leapt to his feet. He leapt in front of Blaze just as Vigoroth brought its slash down on him. He took it full force, but managed to stay on his feet, pressing both of his palms against Vigoroth's chest. Its eyes widened, and Soul released a blast of energy from its palms. The Vigoroth was sent flying backwards once more, and I almost laughed. What a time for Soul to learn a fighting move. And it was force palm, too. Soul fell forward, but managed to catch himself, steadying himself on one knee.

"I'm going to recall Soul, he can hardly stand, and I don't want him to needlessly get hurt." I said. Alyssa nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you should have time-" She was cut off by a blast of psychic energy, which was aimed straight at Soul. Her Blaze jumped in the way, taking the hit for my injured Soul. Vigoroth appeared in front of Blaze, who was somehow still standing.

"Focus Punch." Vigoroth's hand glowed, and he cocked it back. There was no time to do anything except watch as Vigoroth slammed its fist into Blaze, who was KO'd almost immediately.

"Force palm!" I shouted. Soul leapt forwards, slamming its palm into Vigoroth, sending him flying for the third and final time. Vigoroth lay on the ground, KO'd. Both Soul and Bronzor were breathing heavily. Alyssa recalled Blaze, and threw out her Garde. Our opponent calmly threw out his Ekans. I started to recall Soul, but then paused when I saw the way he was glaring at Bronzor. He wanted to fight, and I couldn't bring myself to recall him. "Can you keep going, Soul?" He nodded, still glaring defiantly at Bronzor.

"Acid spray." Ekans reared back and sprayed a jet of acid at Soul.

"Redirect it towards Bronzor using confusion!" Alyssa yelled. The acid suddenly jerked to the side, and sprayed Bronzor in the face. Poison type moves might not have any affect against the steel type, but it could still blind them.

"Now's your chance, Soul! Blaze kick!" I yelled. Soul dashed forwards, stumbled into a roll, and popped back up, spinning through the air. Bronzor had just cleared its face of the poison as Soul brought its blaze kick down on Bronzor. Bronzor slammed into the ground, KO'd.

"Poison fang." Ekans bolted forwards and bit Soul, who yelped, and went limp, KO'd. "Now use wrap." Ekans wrapped itself around Soul's unconscious form, and started squeezing.

"Soul!" I yelled, grabbing his Pokeball. I recalled him, and Ekans relaxed, his prey having escaped. Rage poured from my body. "What the hell was that?! You already KO'd him, so you should've just left him alone!" I shouted. The boy was silent, simply staring at me with a passive expression. My fist shook with anger as I grabbed Loyal's Pokeball. I tossed him out as the other guy tossed out his Nidorino.

"Calm down, Nathan." Alyssa warned. Loyal was already growling, fiercely glaring at the opponents in front of him.

"Did you catch that, Loyal? Let's kill these guys." I said, my voice shaking in quiet rage. What the hell were they thinking? No one battles like that in a competition. Loyal barked in agreement, and I nodded. "Use flamethrower." I said. Loyal reared back and fired at Ekans, who slithered out of the way with ease. I cursed. It was fast.

"Garde, use confusion! Hold Ekans still!" Alyssa yelled. Ekans stopped where it was, glowing in a blue aura.

"Flamethrower!" I shouted. Loyal growled and fired, blasting Ekans. "Thanks for the assist." I said. Alyssa nodded.

"Just keep your head in the game." She said. I nodded, attempting to calm myself. Rage tended to bring about irrational decisions, and we needed our heads to beat these guys. Their Pokémon were strong, and their fighting style was excellent. They were good, but not perfect.

"Horn attack." Nidorino charged straight at Ralts, who was still holding Ekans with its confusion. I cursed.

"Stop him with take down!" I shouted. Loyal started its attack and barreled straight at Nidorino.

"Wrap." Ekans burst forwards from where it had lain, catching Loyal and stopping him in his tracks. I cursed, and watched as Ralts took a direct hit. The confusion had tied Garde up, keeping her from attacking. I cursed. Garde was strong, but her defense wasn't the best in the world. That would hurt.

"Garde! You ok?" Alyssa yelled, worried.

"Again." Nidorino charged at Garde, who was beginning to pick herself up. I cursed.

"Loyal, use flame wheel to escape!" I shouted. Loyal winced and opened its mouth, cloaking itself with fire. Ekans hissed, and released Loyal, who started his spin. "Keep it going and stop Nidorino!" I shouted. Loyal barreled straight at Nidorino, and I realized that it would be too late. Garde began to glow, and the room was filled with a bright light. I averted my eyes, and looked back when it died down. Standing where Garde had been was a Kirlia. She opened her eyes, glowing in a bright blue aura. Both Ekans and Nidorino floated in the air, and Kirlia slammed them together, then against the ground. She spun, and so did Ekans and Nidorino. Kirlia released them, and they went flying against the wall.

"Was that just a psychic?" I asked. Alyssa was beaming at her Kirlia.

"Yes, it was! Let's finish them off, Garde, use psychic one more time!" She shouted. Kirlia glowed, and picked up the two Pokémon once again. "Finish them off." She said. Kirlia nodded, simultaneously slamming the two against the ground and hitting them with a magical leaf in the same instance. Nidorino struggled to get up, but Ekans was KO'd.

"Let's wrap this up, Loyal. Finish him off with flamethrower." I said. Loyal barked in agreement and fired a blast of fire, knocking out Nidorino. The ref took one glance and nodded.

"Both Ekans and Nidorino are unable to battle. The winners are Alyssa and Nathan!" The ref said. I grinned at Alyssa, and we high fived. The crowd cheered wildly. We recalled our Pokémon and watched as the ref approached us, walking down a set of stairs from his observing station.

"Congrats. That was an amazing match. It was very exciting. The awards ceremony begins at 4 o'clock, which gives you four hours to heal your Pokémon. I'd make sure that Riolu receives the proper treatment, kid. It might be poisoned." The ref said, handing us our tickets. I nodded and shook his hand.

"Let's go." I said to Alyssa. She nodded and we walked out of the arena, heading to the Pokémon center. I headed straight for the emergency center, handing them Soul's Pokeball. The doctor nodded, releasing him from his Pokeball and laying Soul on a gurney. Soul was shivering, and had turned a sickly shade of green. The doctor rushed off with him, a Blissey following close behind. Alyssa put her hand on my shoulder.

"Come on; let's go take care of the rest of our Pokémon. Don't worry, he'll be ok." She said. I nodded, but couldn't help but be worried. We walked back to the normal station, and I handed the nurse Loyal's Pokeball. She smiled, taking his Pokeball and both of Alyssa's Pokémon. She turned away, and we sat down on one of the benches.

"So, what Pokémon do you think are for the winners?" Alyssa asked. I shrugged, resting my chin in my hands.

"I dunno." I said absently. "But the next time I see that fucker with the Ekans, I'm going to beat his brains in." I said, my voice taking on a dangerous tone. There was a ding, and I turned around. The nurse walked over to us, holding our Pokeballs in separate trays. She smiled.

"Your Pokémon are all better now. They weren't too hurt, so it didn't take long." She said sweetly.

"Thanks." We said at the same time, taking our Pokémon back. I let Loyal out of his Pokeball, and he barked happily at me. I scratched him behind the ears, and stood up.

"I'm going to go wait in the emergency room." I said. Alyssa nodded and stood up.

"I'll come too." She said. I nodded and walked into the emergency section. There were three other people waiting in there, making it feel empty. I sat down on one of the benches, and waited. It was three hours before they told me that Soul was Ok, and they wanted to see me in the back room.

"Do you want me to come?" Alyssa asked. I shrugged.

"Sure. Soul will be happy to see you, I'm sure." I said. She nodded and we walked into the back room, following the doctor. Soul was happily sitting on a bed, eating an apple. I sighed with relief, and he happily jumped on me, leaping across the room from the bed. I laughed and caught him.

"How's it going buddy?" I asked. He just grinned and leapt out of my arms, going back to his apple.

"Thanks." I said. The doctor nodded, watching Soul carefully.

"No problem. Actually, there's something I'd like to talk to you about." He said. I scratched the back of my neck.

"Yeah, I figured. It's about his difference from normal Riolu, right?" I asked.

"So you know about the Pokerus?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. He got it in his egg, and it turned him into a fighting/electric type, with the different colors and patterns than a normal Riolu." I said. "I figured that out when he hatched." The doctor shook his head, and glanced at Alyssa, who was standing at the doorway.

"Can I talk to him in private?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll, uh, I'll wait out there." She said, and exited the room. I looked at the doctor, confused.

"Ok, what's wrong?" I asked, suddenly worried. He shook his head, studying Soul.

"It's…well…" He was cut off by the sound of the speakers coming on.

"Will the winners of the Single, Double, and Triple battle tournaments please report to the single battle arenas? I repeat…" A voice over the loud speaker said. I looked at the doctor.

"Uh, that's me. Can I swing by after the ceremony?" I asked. The doctor nodded and handed me Soul's Pokeball. He had finished his apple and was happily swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. I recalled him.

"Be sure that you do. Just ask for Doctor Rabinowitz." He said. I nodded and walked out of the room.

"I'll be back as soon as it's over." I said, and rushed out of the room. Alyssa was waiting for me, and together we rushed towards the single battle arenas. We walked down into the arena, and a receptionist checked us off her list. The ceremony was a blur, partly because they were moving things along surprisingly fast, but also because I was worried about what the doctor wanted. They started with the single battlers, the winner from the high school division being a senior varsity battler from another school. The grand prize for them was a Sandile, brought in from Arizona and donated by a local Pokémon shop. Then they got to us. They praised our battling skills, took our picture for the papers, and gave us each a trophy. They smiled and revealed the two Pokémon that were the grand prizes.

"Donated by the generous Henderson and Parker family, we have here two Pokémon to present to you." The announcer said, grinning and releasing the two Pokémon from their balls. One was a Joltik, which skittered around happily. The other was a Treecko, which looked rather depressed, and stared at the crowds fearfully. I felt bad for it. "Now, please decide which Pokémon you want." The announcer said, talking to Alyssa.

"Which do you want?" She whispered to me. I shrugged.

"Your choice." I said. She pondered it for a second, before pointing at Joltik.

"I would like the Joltik." She said. The announcer nodded, recalled the Joltik, and handed it to her. He did the same with Treecko, handing the ball to me. I nodded my thanks, and they moved on. I studied the Pokeball, wondering what I should name my new partner.

"Let's hear it for our Tournament champions!" The announcer bellowed. The crowds were drowned out with cheering, and the contestants waved at the crowd. I smiled and waved, and the announcer dismissed us. We exited the arena, and Alyssa caught me as I walked towards the Pokémon center.

"Hey, thanks for letting me battle with you." She said. I nodded and smiled.

"Sure. Thanks for battling with me, too. We make a good team." I said. She smiled.

"Yeah, we do. So, what did the doctor want to talk to you about?" She asked. I shook my head.

"He didn't get around to it before we got called down. I'm going back there now to see what it is he wanted." I said. She nodded.

"Alright, well, I'll let you get to it." She said, noticing the hint of anxiety in my voice. "See you around." She said, turning around and walking off. I turned towards the Pokémon and walked in. The nurse greeted me with a smile.

"Hello." She said.

"Hi. I'm looking for doctor Rabinowitz." I said.

"Dr. Rabinowitz is in the emergency room. I'll take you to him." She said. I nodded my thanks and followed her into the emergency room, where Dr. Rabinowitz was having a heated discussion with another person. I recognized him as the one who owned Ekans. I restrained myself from simply walking up and punching him in the face.

"Ah, here you are. Do you know this boy?" Rabinowitz asked, noticing me. The boy looked at me impassively.

"He's the one I fought in the final round." I said. "But no, I don't really know him. Why?" I asked. Dr. Rabinowitz glanced back at the boy.

"Well, he's been demanding that I hand over any information I have on your Riolu. I told him it's confidential, but he's been very persistent, saying you know him, so it's ok." He said. I glared at him.

"Get out of here." I snapped. The boy shrugged and left without a word, which irked me even more. "Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked. Rabinowitz motioned for me to follow him, and I did. He led me back into the back room and sat down at his desk.

"It's about your Soul." He said, rubbing his eyes.

"What about him?" I asked. He looked me straight in the face.

"Your Soul is not a Riolu. He's an entirely new species of Pokémon."


	5. Chapter 5

**Stats were based off of a 1 to 1000 scale, with the strongest ever being assumed as the mega evolution of Mewtwo. Most people think that Arceus is stronger, but an Arceus has only ever been recorded once in history. That was a long time ago, in ancient Rome. Most think it's a myth. Anyways, the scale reaches up to 1000, but Mewtwo's mega evolution stats only reach to about 780, the other 200 level being reserved for the discovery of god-like Pokémon such as Arceus.**

I stared blankly at Soul's Pokeball. Dr. Rabinowitz had made a ton of sense. I sighed and mulled over the information in my mind. Soul was a new species of Pokémon. Not only that, but he had detected an unusually high amount of energy from him. His stats were way above normal level, which I had already assumed, but hadn't really paid attention to. On the Pokémon scale, his stats were believed to be around 400, with a normal Riolu's being about 285. I sighed and leaned forward, breathing in the crisp night air. I was sitting outside the Pokémon competition center, and had been for about two hours. Everyone else had left. Soul was a new species of Pokémon. I couldn't get over that fact.

Rabinowitz had shown me a complex description of Soul's body, including a complete map of his DNA, one that he had completed while I had been at the ceremony. I couldn't pretend to understand the DNA, but it sounded convincing enough. He was similar to, but distinctly different than Riolu. I turned Soul's Pokeball over, and tried to stifle a laugh. Soul was a new breed of Pokémon. What were the chances of that? I shook my head, going back to my and Rabinowitz's conversation. He was, in fact, a fighting/electric type, and had the ability steadfast. It was because of his fighting/electric nature that had given Dr. Rabinowitz the clue. He had suggested I take Soul in to a laboratory and have him studied, but I had refused. I wasn't going to subject Soul to experiments.

_I'll probably have to at some point. _I mused. _But I'll keep it to a minimum._ I turned over Soul's Pokeball, staring at the back. I couldn't wait to see what he evolved into, if he even evolved. I also wondered what moves he could learn. Soul was an amazing Pokémon, in every aspect. He was kind, loving, and fierce when it came time to fight. Not to mention he's a _new species of Pokémon! _I couldn't get over that. I laughed and stood up, clipping Soul's Pokeball to my belt. Then I noticed the two shady figures approaching me. I wasn't too concerned, this was a very safe part of Colorado, after all, but I couldn't help but be a bit paranoid.

"Hello." The first person said. I nodded and waved to them, picking up my backpack. It was night now, about 10:15 PM. It was surprising how so few people were here. It wasn't _that_ late. I nodded and began to walk off. They cut me off. Now I was worried. Then it struck me. It was _those _two. The two who we fought in the final round.

"What the hell do you want?" I snarled. One of them smiled, a creepy assed smile that sent shivers up my spine.

"Isn't it obvious?" The one asked, pulling something out of his jacket. He flipped it open. It was a butterfly knife. "We want your Pokémon. Now hand 'em over." He said. I took a step back, shocked. I shook my head and laughed nervously, my eyes glancing around for a weapon. Underneath the bench I had been sitting on was a piece of re-bar. I scooped it up, holding it in front of me like a sword.

"You think I'm scared of two punks with a knife? Try me." I snapped. I was scared, and who wouldn't be? "Come at me." I snarled. I had fought a few times before, but it hadn't been this serious. They sighed and shook their head. The one on the right tossed out a Pokeball.

"Poison sting." He said. My eyes widened as his Nidorino charged me, lowering its horn. I leapt out of the way.

"Are you nuts?!" I asked incredulously. The boy laughed.

"Hand over your Riolu, and no one gets hurt." He said, holding out his hand.

"Except Soul." I muttered. I charged the two of them, and one of them sighed, pulling out a pistol. My eyes widened, and he fired. The bullet ripped through my shoulder, and I fell to the ground, clutching it. I coughed, and there was a flash of red light. Loyal was standing in between me and the two boys, growling.

"We don't have time for this, dog. Move." One of them snapped. I tried to speak, but it hurt to breath.

"Fine. Nidorino, take care of this mutt." I heard one of them say. Loyal barked and fired a blast of fire over me. He launched himself, biting and scratching with Nidorino. I struggled to get up, and managed to get to a kneeling position. Loyal was in front of me, scrapping with Nidorino. Loyal was clearly winning, dominating Nidorino.

"Damn you." I managed to get out. My assailant's attention turned towards me.

"Oh, look at that." The one with the pistol said. He pointed it at me. "Smile." He said. I shuddered and prepared to roll out of the way. I had to time this perfectly. Just then, Loyal emerged victorious, Nidorino lying at his feet, and launched himself at the man, latching onto his pistol arm. He screamed.

"GET OFF!" He yelled, dropping the pistol and flailing wildly. Loyal hung on for dear life. The other one picked up the pistol, and grabbed Loyal, throwing him off of the other. He landed not two feet from me. "Shoot it!" One howled, cradling his arm. The other raised the pistol and took aim.

"NO!" I shouted, and launched myself, landing on top of Loyal. The bullet slammed into my back, and I coughed again, beginning to shake.

"Damn it! Just grab his Pokeballs, and let's go!" They said. They rushed forwards, and I was dimly aware of another of my Pokémon jumping out of its Pokeball. Loyal scrambled out from under me and joined the fray. I coughed, tasting blood. _Well, shit. _I thought, rolling over to look at the sky. There were no stars out. I was dimly aware of the scuffling next to me stopping. Soul appeared over me, worry on his face. I managed a dim smile. _911. _Slowly, my hand reached towards my pocket, where my cell phone was. I managed to get it out, and brought it up to my face. It wasn't a smart phone, but rather was an older one. My thumb pressed the redial button. Thank god for the redial button. Alyssa's number popped up on the screen, and I felt my consciousness begin to fade. My hand dropped, and I heard Alyssa pick up.

"_Hello?" _She asked. _"Nathan?" _

"Riolu! Rio, Ri, Lu!" Soul said quickly. Loyal barked.

"_Soul? Nathan, what's going on?"_ She said. I coughed and rolled over, looking at Soul. He was bending over the phone, yelling over and over, trying its best to talk to Alyssa. I coughed and leaned close to the phone.

"H-" I coughed. "Help…' I coughed again. "Competition…." I managed to get out. "Center…" And with that, I blacked out.

All I remember is flashing lights. Maybe someone calling my name, I'm not sure. When I woke up, I was in the hospital, lying in a hospital bed. An IV was in my arm, and I was hooked up to a machine that measured my heartbeat. My mind was foggy, and I tried to sit up. Unfortunately, that hurt too much, so I stayed lying down. Suddenly, my bed began to move, moving me to a sitting position so I didn't have to. A nurse was smiling at me, holding the remote that moved the bed.

"Thanks." I said. Luckily, it didn't hurt to speak. All I could feel was a slight stretching sensation. The nurse nodded and left the room. Light filtered in through the windows, and I looked outside. I was on one of the top floors of a hospital, looking out over a highway. The view could've been better, but the room was nice. Flowers lay next to my bed, sitting in a vase. The note said 'To: the idiot who got himself shot. From: Your friends who don't want to be associated with you.' I grinned, shaking my head. They were assholes, but they sure knew how to cheer a guy up. The flowers made the joke even funnier. My brother walked into the room then, seeing that I was awake. He grinned.

"How's it going? Question; How's it feel to get shot?" He said. I grinned, and shook my head.

"Nothing I can't handle." I said, starting to laugh. I winced. That was painful. "Maybe not." I muttered. My mom burst into the room, looking flustered and worried. She fussed over me for the next hour and a half. It was annoying, but hey, that's their job. Then my dad entered, holding a carrier for a Pokémon. He grinned at me.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up. You take two bullets, and you're out for three days? Pathetic." He joked. I grinned, shaking my head. He set the carrier at the base of my bed and opened it. "Either way, your mother thought it was necessary to get you a present or something, so here you go." I peered into the carrier, and out popped an Eevee. I grinned.

"Hey, thanks! Oh, by the way. Where's Soul, Loyal, and Treecko?" I asked. My dad nodded and placed three Pokeballs on the top of the carrier.

"They're ok. You know, you should thank them, they saved your life by beating the _crap_ out of those punks. I watched the security tape. It's hilarious. They're both in custody now." He said with a grin. I nodded.

"So, why exactly did they attack me? They said they wanted my Pokémon, but I'm almost positive there was more to it than that." I said.

"What makes you say that?" My mom asked. I shrugged.

"Well, as you know, those were the two who I fought in the final round of the tournament. I'm just wondering….you know, it's probably paranoia." I said. My mom nodded, but my dad shook his head. Just then, my mom's phone rang, and she picked it up. She spoke for a minute, before glancing back at us.

"There's an emergency at the station, and I've been called in. I'll be back soon." My mom said, and bolted out the door.

"It's not paranoia." Dad said. I looked at him.

"What?" I asked. Dean shook his head, and spoke for Dad.

"Those two were grunts in Team Rocket. They were trying to collect your Pokémon because they thought it would promote them. So they did what normal punks and grunts in a gang do. They tried to mug you for them." He said. I sighed.

"Figures. Still, getting mugged in Parker, of all places? I mean, seriously? This is about as far from the 'hood' you can get. It's the opposite of the hood." I said. My dad laughed and scratched Eevee behind the ears.

"Alright, well, we were just coming to check up on you. Have fun with your new friend. I've got work to do, so I've got to get going." He said, and walked out the door. Dean stayed and indicated Eevee, who was grooming itself.

"What are you going to name him?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Dunno. I'm thinking Eon, seeing how all of his evolved forms end in eon." I said. He nodded, and removed the carrier from my bed, handing me my three Pokeballs and Eon's Pokeball. Suddenly he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked. He just shook his head.

"I watched the tape of your double battle, and I've just got to say, your Soul kicks _ass. _I mean, come on! He picks himself up after a full on slash and a psychic type attack, which had to hurt, and then continues to KO two more Pokémon? Seriously, that guy's a monster. He's about as good as my Tabasco was at that age!" He said. I grinned and nodded. Tabasco was his shiny Charmeleon, evolved from Charmander. He shook his head, still smiling. "Alright, well, have fun. I've got training to do." He said, and began to walk out the door. "Hey, have you decided on whether or not to join the battle team yet?" He asked. I grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, I am." I said. "And I'm going to replace you as captain of the varsity team." I said. He grinned maliciously.

"Good luck." He said, and walked out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

One and a Half Years Later

High School Battle Team State Championship

Single Battle Quarter Finals

I grinned and shook hands with my opponent. It was the quarter finals round, where teammates started to face off against each other rather than just facing the other schools. My opponent was Alex, who managed to snag a varsity spot when a senior graduated last year. I had been varsity my freshman year, and was again this year.

"Don't think I'll take it easy on you, Smith." He warned. I grinned.

"As if you'd be able to beat me anyways, Alex." I said. He laughed and shook his head, and we walked to either end of the field. The stands were packed with people, and the ref gave the opening rules. Three Pokémon each, the winner is decided when all three of the opponent's Pokémon is unable to battle, blah, blah, blah. I grabbed Forest's (Treecko's) Pokeball, and prepared for battle. The ref blew the whistle, and we sent out our Pokémon.

"Let's go, Forest!" I said. Forest popped out, already reading what was going to happen next. He had amazing instincts, rivaling that of Soul's, but lacked in strength when it came to dealing damage. However, he made up for that with the sheer amount of blows he could deliver.

"Knock 'em dead, Pikachu!" Alex yelled. Out of its Pokeball popped Alex's Pikachu, which sparked defiantly. This would be a battle of speed rather than power.

"Let's start this off, Forest. Use pound!" I said. Treecko launched itself forwards, almost instantly closing the gap. Pikachu dodged just as fast, and Forest found himself swinging at thin air.

"Quick attack!" Alex said. Pikachu ran straight forward, slamming into Forest, who tumbled, caught himself, and glared at Pikachu.

"Use pursuit!" I said. Forest dashed forwards, and Pikachu dodged again. "Bullet seed!" I said. Forest turned halfway through his attack, facing Pikachu, and fired the multiple glowing seeds at Pikachu. Pikachu took them all, not having time to react. "Pound! Keep up the pressure!" I said. Forest launched himself before Pikachu had time to gather itself, and began pounding it with its fists. He got in five before a counter attack was launched.

"Discharge!" Alex said. Pikachu unleashed a blast of lightning, frying Forest. Forest leapt backwards, but Pikachu followed. "Slam!" Pikachu launched itself, and Forest dodged quickly, rolling out of the way. Unfortunately, he was very close to Pikachu.

"Get out of there!" I yelled. Alex grinned.

"Too late. Discharge!" He yelled. Pikachu unleashed another blast of lightning, and Forest was fried once more. I cursed.

"Alright, Forest, back up and use bullet seed." I said. If we stayed in too close, Pikachu would keep frying him with discharge. If Forest managed to make some distance between himself and Pikachu, he might be able to dodge or counter the attacks. Forest raced backwards, firing bullet seed the whole way. The first wave landed directly on Pikachu, but the rest missed as Pikachu expertly dodged. I curse again.

"Get in close with quick attack, and follow it up with a slam!" Alex yelled.

"Don't let him! Use bullet seed!" I said. Forest started firing rapid fire, but Pikachu kept dodging using quick attack, slowly closing distance. I cursed, but then an idea came into mind. "When he uses slam, grab on and don't let go." I said. Forest nodded, stopping his attack. Hopefully Alex hadn't heard me, and didn't catch on. Pikachu closed the distance, and tried to use its slam attack. In a flash, Forest bounded forwards, grabbing Pikachu. "Absorb!" I said. Forest began to glow green as he sucked the energy out of Pikachu.

"Thunderbolt!" Alex said. I cursed and watched helplessly as Forest was zapped with the high powered move. Forest stumbled back, and lay on the ground, struggling to get up. "Finish him off with slam." Alex said. I cursed.

"Forest…" I started, and then noticed the glow of evolution. "Well, shit's about to get serious." I whispered with a grin. Pikachu stopped as the process began. Forest glowed brightly, and started to change. I had to avert my eyes from the glare as it happened. When I looked back, Forest was a Grovyle, glaring at Pikachu. I grinned. "Alright, Forest. Use-" I was cut off by Forest, who launched himself forward, the leaves on his forearm growing into leaf blades. He slashed Pikachu, and I started laughing.

"Crap! Pikachu, get away with quick attack!" Alex yelled.

"Get in front with pursuit!" I said. Forest flashed forwards, and appeared in front of Pikachu, stopping it in its tracks. "Bullet seed!" I cried. Forest opened his mouth, and a green ball of energy appeared, which slammed into Pikachu and sent him tumbling backwards, KO'd. I grinned as Alex recalled his Pikachu, cursing me underneath his breath. He grabbed his next Pokémon. I laughed. Not only had Forest learned leaf blade, but he had learned energy ball in place of bullet seed.

"Fine. Go, Yanma!" Alex yelled. His Yanma appeared, flitting about nervously. "Use double team!" He shouted.

"Take them all out with leaf blade!" I yelled. Forest dashed around, cutting and slashing at the different mirages.

"Now use signal beam!" Alex yelled. I cursed and watched as the last Yanma turned and fired straight at Forest, who was knocked over by the attack. It was clear that he couldn't continue and I recalled him. After fighting Pikachu and taking that super-effective signal beam, I wasn't surprised. I grabbed Loyal's Pokeball and sent him out. He barked at Yanma, who was still flitting about nervously.

"Alright, then. Let's start off strong, Loyal. Use flamethrower!" I said.

"Counter with signal beam!" Alex shouted. The two attacks collided in midair, with flamethrower taking over signal beam almost instantly. Yanma took the blast and started to fall to the ground.

"Now, use flame wheel!" I yelled. Loyal cloaked himself in fire, begun his spin, and collided with Yanma as it fell to the ground. I grinned. "You should know better than to try and counter a fire move with a bug move like signal beam!" I called.

"Don't underestimate Yanma." Alex said. "Air slash!" He shouted. Yanma rose in the air, and flapped its wings viciously. I cursed as Loyal took the attack head on, sending him tumbling.

"Get up and use flamethrower! Finish him off!" I yelled. Loyal jumped up and fired.

"Double team!" Alex yelled. It was too late, and the flamethrower crashed into Yanma, knocking him down and out. Alex recalled him, and shook his head.

"Alright, this one's my game changer. Let's mop the floor with 'em, Prinplup!" He shouted. Prinplup took shape, already poised for attack. "Use bubble beam!" He said. Prinplup fired the stream of bubbles at Loyal, who managed to get out of the way.

"Use bite!" I said. Loyal dashed forwards and latched onto Prinplup's flipper.

"Use bubble beam, and don't stop until Loyal has fainted!" Alex said.

"Get out of there, Loyal!" I said, mentally cursing myself. That was one of Alex's favorite tricks; let them get close, land a hit, and then destroy them with multiple close range attacks. Despite its looks, Prinplup was actually very agile. Loyal was being driven into the ground by the bubble beam, and then the bubbles stopped. Loyal lay on the ground, KO'd. I sighed and recalled him.

"Well, you give me no choice. Prepare for destruction, Alex. Soul, come on out." I said, tossing out Soul. Soul smiled and waved at Prinplup, running up to it like the buddies they were. "No! Soul, we're fighting him!" I shouted. Soul turned and gave me a confused look. He was a little spacey at times, and I sighed, seeing what was coming next.

"Now's our chance! Prinplup, use peck repeatedly!" Alex shouted.

"Soul! Pay attention!" I cried. Soul turned around just in time to see Prinplup smash its beak into him. I sighed once more as Prinplup repeatedly attacked Soul as he lay on the ground. "Stop him." I said, shaking my head. Suddenly, Prinplup stopped, having been stopped by Soul's palm. "Force palm." I said. Soul's palm glowed, and released energy, sending Prinplup staggering backwards. I was dimly aware of an announcer calling surprise at this. I didn't pay much attention to the announcer during battle.

"Let's wrap this up. Combination number 6, if you would." I said. Soul leapt up and used quick attack to get close to Prinplup.

"Metal claw!" Alex said. Prinplup swiped at Soul, who just slid on the ground to dodge. He leapt feet first upwards, knocking Prinplup off balance with a blaze kick. Then, he sent Prinplup skyward with a dual force palm, causing Prinplup to bend over with the first one, and then upwards with the second. Soul charged both his fists with electricity, as struck as Prinplup fell to the ground. Prinplup was out almost immediately.

"Prinplup is unable to battle! The winner is Nathan!" The announcer cried. The crowd erupted and I hugged Soul as he leapt at me.

"Great job, Soul." I said with a grin. "Have a good rest." I tapped Soul with his Pokeball, recalling him. Alex walked up to me, shaking his head.

"Well, shit. I should've seen that coming." He said. I nodded, grinning at him and shaking his hand.

"Yeah, you should've. But good match!" I said, and checked my watch. "Well, my double battle match begins in about an hour, so I want to go heal my Pokémon." I said. Alex nodded, and we walked out of the arena, heading towards the Pokémon center.

"Damn, man. You're Pokémon have got strong." He said. I grinned and nodded.

"So have yours. I mean, c'mon. Your Yanma took on two fire attacks and still managed to get up and land a blow on Loyal. Plus, your Pikachu was beating Forest until he evolved." I said. Alex grinned and nodded.

"I was still at a loss against them. I'll train like a madman, and next time, I'm going to kick your ass." He said with a grin. I laughed, and we stopped walking.

"Good luck." I said. He shook his head and laughed.

"Well, I'll see you. I'm going to head home and heal my Pokémon at the center in Parker. I'll talk to you later." He said, and walked off. I sighed and shook my head, heading into the Pokémon center. I needed to get Loyal and Forest healed for the upcoming match. I could use Eon, but I didn't like being limited to just two Pokémon. Having options was nice. I handed the nurse my Pokémon, and sat on the bench, closing my eyes. Now to wait.


	7. Chapter 7

**State champions of any event act as the Pokémon league champions for that event. Unless they are beaten, or graduate, the champions do not have to go through the elimination rounds in order to reclaim their state title. Instead, the elimination rounds are held so that the final two battlers have the chance to fight the champion and take the title from them. There is an exception to this rule, though. If the champions do not qualify for state in the traditional season, they must go through the elimination rounds like everyone else, but are still guaranteed a spot in the state championship.**

I took my Pokémon from the nurse, smiling at her.

"Thanks." I said. She nodded and smiled back.

"You're welcome." She said. I checked my watch, making sure that I still had time to reach the arena. I had ten minutes until my match started. I thanked her and headed towards the double battle stadium, pushing and shoving through the crowds. A few business men were standing off to one side, watching me as I walked past. A chill ran down my spine when I saw them, and I hurried to the stadium. A man was waiting for me at the entrance. He grinned and stopped me before I could enter the contestants' area.

"Hey." He said with a grin. The man was big and burly, with black hair and a lumberjack beard. He wore overalls and a flannel shirt. "I watched your last match, and I gotta say, you've got a good team of Pokémon." He said.

"Uh…thanks." I said. He laughed, a big booming laugh that seemed to shake the entire building.

"I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Greg, and I'm the gym leader in Castle Rock." He said. My eyes widened. Greg was the second strongest gym leader in the state, the user of steel type Pokémon. His Lucario was famous for wiping the floor with most challengers. "I'd like to battle you sometime, kid. Come to my gym and we'll see about it." He said, and walked off. I shook my head and laughed to myself. To think, a gym leader would seek me out and tell me that he wanted to battle me. Maybe I should try the gym challenge. I shook my head again, clearing it. I needed to focus. I walked into the contestant chamber, where Alyssa was already waiting for me. I nodded to her.

"So, how'd your JV match go?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I wiped the floor with the guy. I should've been varsity this year." She said grumpily. I laughed. She was next in line for the varsity single battlers, and was easily varsity material, but we already had an amazing team this year. We had dominated the entire year, losing maybe one match, and never losing a tournament.

"Don't worry, you'll get on varsity next year. By the way, you won't believe who I just met outside." I said.

"Who?" She asked.

"Greg." I said, grinning. "The gym leader in Castle Rock." I said. Alyssa's eyes widened.

"No way! What'd he say?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Just that he wanted to battle me." I said. Alyssa laughed.

"Just?! Are you kidding?! That's awesome! Maybe I'll go with you and challenge him too." She said, grinning.

"Maybe. But you know, he might not want to fight someone from the JV battle team." I said. Alyssa hit me, and I laughed, mocking fear. "No, please don't hurt me!" I said. She shook her head, but couldn't help smiling.

"_Alyssa and Nathan, please report to the arena." _A voice said over the intercom. We stood up.

"I guess that's us." She said. I nodded, and we headed towards the hall that led to the arena. I could hear the crowd cheering, rumbling in the stands and shaking the stadium. I couldn't help but grin, and Alyssa did the same.

"Please welcome last year's double battle state champions, Nathan and Alyssa!" The announcer boomed as we entered the arena. The crowd cheered wildly, and I grinned, shaking my head. I wasn't one for the spotlight, but I bet I could get used to it. "Their season this year consisted of 40 wins and 0 losses, giving them the first perfect record in state history! And now, please welcome the challengers, having a 37 and 3 record in the normal season, Felix and Christian!" The announcer said. Our challengers entered the arena and we shook hands.

"We're going to crush you." Felix said, towering over me. I smiled at him. He was a senior this year, and we had knocked them out of the tournament last year, so he felt it necessary to beat us.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck." I said calmly. "Cause you're going to need it." Felix laughed, and we walked to our ends of the arena. Alyssa nodded to me.

"You ready?" She asked. I nodded.

"You bet. Let's defend our title." I said. Alyssa nodded, and the ref stated the rules.

"…and BEGIN!" He yelled, and ran out of the way. Felix and Christian threw out their Pokémon, a Graveler and a Krokorok. Alyssa nodded, and we threw out our Pokémon.

"Go, Forest!" I said. Forest materialized in a flash of red light, already looking for a fight. He and Graveler locked eyes, and I knew that he was going to go after Graveler first, no matter what I said. That's what kind of Pokémon he was.

"Go, Galva!" Alyssa said. Her Joltik appeared on the battlefield, and I knew what her strategy was going to be. She was planning to take on Krokorok with Galva's bug type moves. We studied each other for a second, and Felix made the first move.

"Use rollout!" He yelled. Graveler tucked itself into a ball and barreled straight towards Galva.

"Stop him with string shot!" Alyssa called. Galva ensnared Graveler with its sticky threads, tying it to the ground with ease, halting its movements.

"Now, Forest, use a double leaf blade!" I said. Forest leapt forwards with such astounding speed that no one could have reacted. He paused in front of Graveler just long enough to smile at it, before slamming the twin leaf blades into it, sending Graveler flying. "Now finish him off with energy ball!" I said. Forest charged up the green ball of energy, but Krokorok got in the way.

"Krokorok, use sand tomb! Stop him!" Christian yelled. Krokorok leapt forwards and fired a blast of sand at Forest, who ended up discharging the energy ball into the ground. Graveler picked itself up, breathing hard.

"Now, Galva, use fury cutter repeatedly!" Alyssa yelled. Galva, who had snuck up behind Krokorok, launched itself at said Pokémon, slashing it repeatedly with fury cutter. _That oughta do some damage._

"Quick, use rock blast on sand tomb!" Felix called. Graveler shot multiple rocks at sand tomb, which disrupted the flow of air. The release blew both Galva and Forest backwards, and I cursed. "Now, use it again on Joltik!" Graveler shifted its aim to where Galva was picking itself up, and fired.

"Forest, leaf blade! Stop that rock blast!" I said. Forest leapt up and began to run, but was once again stopped by Krokorok.

"Crunch!" Krokorok leapt forwards and latched onto Forest's shoulder, halting his movements. I cursed and watched as Galva was blasted with rock blast.

"Energy ball!" I shouted. Forest charged the ball and fired, landing a direct hit on Graveler, who was KO'd instantly. Krokorok was distracted by this and I took the opportunity. "Now use leaf blade on Krokorok!" I said. Forest's leaf blade grew into existence and he slashed Krokorok, knocking him out too. Galva was also unmoving, having taken serious damage from the rock blast. Alyssa recalled him as Felix and Christian did the same.

"Sorry about that. I was hoping for a shutout." She said. I shrugged.

"I wasn't expecting it to be. These are the best out of the double battlers, besides us, of course." I said. She smiled.

"Fair enough. Shall we go with the fire/grass combo, then?" She asked. I nodded.

"Oh, I think that's a great idea. Let's mop the floor with 'em." I said. She grinned and threw out her next Pokémon.

"Go, Blaze!" She said. Her Combusken appeared on the battlefield, having evolved from Torchic merely two weeks ago. Forest regarded Blaze with a nod, and watched our opponents, who sent out their Pokémon.

"Go, Houndoom!" Felix said.

"Go, Azumarill!" Christian said. Their Pokémon materialized on the field and I grinned. Just what I had expected them to do.

"Double combo 2, then?" I asked. Alyssa nodded. We had been working on our teamwork for a while, and had come up with two different combinations for both Blaze and Forest. "Alright, then. Forest! Use leaf blade!" I shouted. Forest took off, aiming for Azumarill.

"No you don't. Azumarill, rollout!" Christian shouted.

"Target change! Pound!" I shouted. Just before Forest collided with Azumarill, Forest dashed to the left, revealing Blaze, who had been running directly behind Forest and already had a double kick charged. Blaze smashed his foot into Azumarill, going with the force in which Azumarill was rolling, sending it flying into the wall with its own move. Blaze then followed Forest, who had almost closed in on Houndoom.

"No you don't! Use fire blast!" Felix said.

"Block it with double kick!" Alyssa shouted. Blaze shot forwards and slid on the ground, imitating what Soul had taught him. Blaze's foot shot upwards, kicking Houndoom's head upwards, sending the fire blast into the sky. Forest slammed its fist into Houndoom too, sending it stumbling backwards.

"Bubblebeam!" Christian shouted. I cursed, and Forest leapt into action.

"Block it with energy ball!" I shouted. Forest fired just in time, creating a smoky field from the contact.

"Blaze, hit Azumarill with slash!" Alyssa shouted. Blaze moved forwards, using the smoke to cover his approach. He leapt out of the smoke and landed a direct hit on Azumarill, who was sent stumbling backwards.

"Finish him off with leaf blade!" I said. Forest dashed forwards and slashed, felling Azumarill. Christian cursed and recalled Azumarill.

"Well, it's all up to you now." Christian said. "Sorry." Felix nodded and cursed, watching Houndoom. He was breathing heavily.

"Let's wrap this up, Alyssa." I said. She nodded. "Forest, you ready?" I asked. He nodded his approval, and Felix cursed. "Use pound!" I said. Forest dashed forwards, cocking his fist.

"Dodge and use flamethrower!" Houndoom leapt to the side, rivaling Forest's speed. Forest dove out of the way of flamethrower and chased after Houndoom, who was leading Forest around in a wild goose chase.

"Double kick!" Alyssa called. Out of the blue, came Blaze, planting both feet into Houndoom and knocking it over. Forest stopped, and the ref called the match.

"Houndoom is unable to battle. The winners are Nathan and Alyssa!" The ref said. I recalled Forest and grinned at Alyssa. The crowd was going nuts, and we shook hands with Felix and Christian. Felix shook his head with a sigh.

"Well, good match." He said.

"You too." I said, and walked out of the arena, talking with Alyssa. I was oblivious to the businessmen watching me carefully from the stands, and Greg, who conspiring with them.


End file.
